


Warm Feet

by Anima Perierat (Loki_Likey_Thor_Odinson)



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 10:43:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5866339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loki_Likey_Thor_Odinson/pseuds/Anima%20Perierat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If there's one way to secure the end of your life, it's threatening the women Oswald cares the most about in this world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Warm Feet

_Did you know that male emperor penguin keep their eggs warm by balancing them on their feet? Isn’t that neat?_

Ed’s words from the first time they met randomly came back to Oswald’s memory, as he held his daughter’s hands. She was stood on his feet, gurgling as Oswald shuffled forward. Ed had his arms held out, and Gertrud squealed as she lurched forward, being held up by Oswald, still holding onto her little hands.

Carefully, fretting as he did, Oswald let go, and he watched his baby girl totter into Ed’s arms.

“Oh that’s Papa’s clever girl!”

Gertrud squealed and wrapped his arms around Ed’s neck and he stood, holding her tightly in his arms. She yawned a little, and Oswald smiled, leaning up to press a kiss to her cheek.

“I’m going to miss her.”

“You always do, and she’s always fine, Os.” Ed leaned down for a kiss of his own, wrapping his spare arm around Oswald’s waist.

“You look after Trudy now. Trudy, you look after your Papa, you hear me?”

She squealed and giggled, hiding away in Ed’s neck and Oswald smiled softly. “I’ll be home late.”

“I’ll see you then.”

Oswald leaned up for another kiss, savouring the antiseptic taste of Ed’s lips before buttoning his waistcoat, heading off for work.

He’d been lucky, he mused, as he climbed into his limo, seating himself in the middle. He’d met Ed, in a... strange way, he supposed. Sure, when they had started talking, Oswald had been hostile – well, hostile might be an understatement – but they had grown close quickly, and closer even faster.

Their relationship had been awkward at first, nervous touches, needing alcohol to get anywhere in the bedroom.

Oswald had been sure they might break up at first, but as time wore on and their relationship got stronger, they got more confident with each other, and things got better. Their relationship became a key thing to them both, an important thing.

Oswald never really had friends, not before Ed came along. He never showed a single ounce of fear towards Oswald, he didn’t flinch – he just kept coming back with that charming smile and his endless onslaught of riddles to the point where Oswald just gave up trying to get him to disappear.

 _“Just sit in the corner and shut up with the riddles_.”

_“Don’t you like riddles?”_

_“They bore me, they’re easy.”_

_“Try **this** one then. What is yours but is nearly always used by someone else?”_

_“My name,” it was a drawl on Oswald’s next breath, not even having to think about it. “That’s really not being quiet, Nygma.”_

_When silence did fall, no retort coming, Oswald had looked round, raising an eyebrow when Edward was just... sitting there, staring with his mouth open._

_“What?”_

_“No one ever gets that so easily...”_

Oswald smiled fondly at the memory, leaning back in his seat. It hadn’t been so long after that that he and Ed had shared awkward kisses in dark rooms, which had lead to a lot more than kisses, although it was still slightly awkward, and then that had lead to Ed moving in with Oswald, and Oswald finding that he could be happy when he wasn’t around his Mother.

It had been precisely two months after Ed moved in officially, when the door bell rang late one night. One of the help had come through, a little pale faced. Oswald frowned deeply as she cleared her throat; how dare she interrupt his time with Ed, how dare she make herself known to him. He was about to yell at her when she leant down, setting a basket on the floor.

_Ed shot upright when he saw movement in the basket, a blanket moving. Oswald’s eyes widened as he reached out to snatch the letter that was on top of the baby in the basket._

_‘’Please look after her... I cannot provide. This seems like the best place to drop her off, the best place she might have a chance. I beg, look after my baby. Even if you give her to someplace that can look after her.‘’_

_Oswald looked up, frowning when he saw Ed holding the small baby to his chest. The baby girl was quiet, kicking around as she looked up at him. Ed was smiling, gently ticking her under her chin._

_“Please...”_

_Oswald had closed his eyes. “Ed-”_

_“Just let her stay for a week, at least, so she has some stability and so she’s not passed around here, there and everywhere! I can take her to the G.C.P.D. with me.”_

_Oswald had slumped where he sat. “A week. No more.”_

But a week had turned into a month, a month into 6 months, 6 months into a year.

Gertrud Karen Cobblepot was fifteen months old now and only just learning to walk. Ed said that it was nothing to worry about, that the latest children learned to walk, on average, was 17 months.

Gertrud, or Trudy as Ed called her, was growing fast. She had a thick mop of curly black hair that Oswald could never brush – she would never let him. Ed, on the other hand, could spend an hour brushing her hair and she wouldn’t complain once. Her bright eyes were a startling silvery-grey, so similar to Oswald’s own that he wasn’t surprised that Jim and Harvey thought Trudy his biological daughter.

Allowing people to think that, was his key to protecting her.

The limo slowed to a stop and Oswald adjusted his cravat before he got out the car, hobbling into his club. He needed to deal with the threat of a possible new boss, and that, Oswald wasn’t keen on.

He didn’t like newcomers arriving in Gotham. He didn’t like newcomers trying to run him into the ground. He definitely didn’t like newcomers, sending their goons to his club, guns on show.

Gabriel nodded at him as he walked in.

“Boss, Iannaci is already in your office.”

“Thank you, Gabe.” Oswald didn’t need to tell the elder male to follow him up the stairs. He didn’t need to tell the elder male to stand two steps behind him at all times, there in case his leg caused him to fall.

With luck, and practice, he reached the top of the stairs and he hobbled inside his office with his head held high.

“Signor Iannaci,” Oswald held his hand out, giving a polite smile. “I must say, it’s a pleasure to finally meet the man behind the rumours.”

“Rumours are all they are. Rumours.”

“I am so glad to hear that you didn’t kill an officer of the G.C.P.D. on my streets.”

Oswald saw Iannaci’s eyes twitch, registering the personal claim to Gotham’s streets. “Now, what might I be able to help you with, Signor?”

“I was told you were the man to talk to concerning gaining territory in Gotham.”

“I wish that were true but, you see, I don’t do that kind of thing. Territory wars simply don’t happen on my turf,” Oswald smiled and shrugged a little as he sat in his seat. “You see, I have people to protect. I’m sure you understand.”

Iannaci leaned forward in the chair he had already been sat in, his right-hand man directly behind him. Oswald watched Iannaci’s hand close around the photo frame on his desk, and he stared at the picture of Ed and Trudy.

They’d gone out on a family day, and the picture was a simple one of Ed and Trudy at Gotham Zoo, Trudy screaming at the penguins in their enclosure. Ed was smiling directly down at her and Oswald couldn’t help but snap the photo.

“I understand, you got people to protect, I got people to help.” Iannaci smiled, rubbing his thumb over Trudy. “Be a shame if something were to happen to your people.”

Oswald’s smile disappeared. “I trust you didn’t just make a threat towards my family, Signor.”

Iannaci smiled and set the photo back down. “I trust you didn’t turn down my business offer.”

Gabe stepped forward and Oswald breathed heavily, sitting forward in his chair. His hand closed around the gun that was strapped to the bottom of his desk, and he silently pulled it out.

“You see, Signor, I protect my family.” His finger squeezed the trigger and the henchmen fell to the ground, screaming as his ankle exploded underneath him. Iannaci went to stand, only to be pushed back into his seat by Gabe.

“Gabe, see to it that these wonderful gentlemen see the warehouse. Maybe they’d be interested in it.”

Gabe smirked a little and Oswald watched him knock the Italian man out cold with a single punch and then he leaned back. Picking the photo up, Oswald smiled softly, carefully wiping away the clunky fingertips left behind on the glass.

“Oh, and Gabe?”

“Yes?”

“Make sure that no one ever finds them.”

**Author's Note:**

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